This invention relates generally to thermoelectrically cooled beverage dispensing machines and, more specifically, to such machines which feature heretofore unachieved compact construction.
Broadly speaking, thermoelectrically cooled beverage dispensing machines are known in the prior art. See, for example, the thermoelectrically cooled beverage dispenser adapted for mounting in a vehicle over the transmission hump on a vehicle floor as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,384,512 issued to G. R. Keith on May 24, 1983. See also the thermoelectrically cooled liquid dispenser of the commercial type which may be used to dispense cream for coffee in restaurants as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,445,039 issued to B. Broadsky et al. on May 20, 1969. See also the thermoelectric water cooler disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,368,359 issued to W. A. English, et al. on Feb. 13, 1968, and the thermoelectric liquid cooler of U.S. Pat. No. 3,174,291 issued to W. R. Crawford et al. on Mar. 23, 1965. See also the thermoelectric water cooler in U.S. Pat. No. 4,829,771 issued to E. E. Koslow, et al. on May 16, 1989, and the thermoelectric wine bottle cooler disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,681,611 issued to H. J. Bohner on Jul. 21, 1987. Lastly, see the thermoelectric water cooler disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,310,953 issued to J. M. Rait on Mar. 28, 1967, and the portable thermoelectric beverage chiller of U.S. Pat. No. 4,320,626, issued to J. H. Donnelly on Mar. 23, 1982.
All of the above referenced patents disclose thermoelectric coolers for liquid having heat exchange fins or plates except the patents to Koslow et al. and English et al., both of which have heat exchanger tubes. The device of English et al. is the only one of the reference patents which does not employ forced air circulating means such as a fan or pump. Of the group of prior art patents cited which employ both a plurality of heat exchange fins or plates and fans, in each of those references the fan and plates are mounted vertically in tandem, which requires a high profile assembly, except the systems of Bronsky et al. and Rait which plates and fans are mounted horizontally in tandem. While the latter two systems thus save height, they sacrifice depth or width.
Also, none of the reference patents previously cited employ means for agitating a liquid beverage in a transparent display container for the purpose of circulating the beverage against a roof of the container to create a flow of beverage across the roof by means of surface tension and thence down the sides of the bowl to form an aesthetically pleasing and appetizing dynamic fluid display. And while there is nothing new per se about such dynamic beverage display, the use of a single prime mover to control both air circulation through the cooling system and agitation of the beverage in the display bowl to provide a dynamic fluid display is new.
Accordingly, by means of my invention, these and other disadvantages encountered in the use of prior art thermoelectrically cooled beverage dispensers are substantially overcome.